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Personal Branding

The development of the online social media and technology has been blurring the boundaries between work and personal lives. However, over the past years, because of the economic crisis, a competition in a job market has become fierce. Personal branding is needed in order to differentiate you and stand out from a crowd by identifying your unique value proposition.

The concept of personal branding arises in the United States in the late 90s, from an article by Tom Peters. However, the meaning of the term has been evolved over the years.

According to Peter Montoya in his book The Personal Branding Phenomenon (2002), ‘personal branding is a strategic process – it is about intentionally taking control of how others perceive you and managing those perceptions strategically to help you achieve your goals.’

Tips for Creating Your Personal Brand

As personal branding is getting more important, people's interests in courses and coaching about personal branding, have also been growing. Developing your personal brand requires time and good ideas. Before creating your personal brand, you should find out who you are, what you want to communicate, and what values you want to identify. Also, you should analyse your skills, achievements, and interests and strategically design them for your personal branding.

How to Brand Yourself in Web 2.0

Today, web 2.0 has become an essential environment to develop online personal branding. Dan Schawbe, a personal branding expert, describes that web 2.0 amplified how we network, first impressions and personal visibility and self-promotion forever. It has been common that employers and professionals in a human resource department judge and evaluate online profiles of candidates on their own websites, blogs, or job search portals. The strategy of personal branding is related to tools of social networks such as Linkedin, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. You should strategically select and upload your information online to elevate your brand image.

Logos for Personal Branding

Once you define what you want to deliver through your brand image, it is important to design your own logo that represents yourself. The logo is a graphical representation of your personal brand to differentiate you. Therefore, it is important to have a strong and a memorable logo. There are no general guidelines for designing a logo for personal branding. Some people still prefer to use their own photos rather than a logo. In this case, you need some tips in order to choose the proper images that show messages which you intend to present.

Personal Branding Books

If you are interested in further information and learn more about personal branding, you can find some of the books about personal brandingfrom advices of experts and case studies in this section. The successful examples can help you create and develop your personal brand.